Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don't wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.

Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.

Many people think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.

True happiness is not found through the multiplication of desires but through their simplification.

If you want to know the past, look at the present. If you want to know the future, look at the present.

The more precisely you note, the more clearly you understand. The more clearly you understand, the stronger your insight becomes.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

The challenge in meditation is not to eliminate thinking but to understand the nature of thought itself.

The practice is simply this: keep coming back to your breath during the day. This will give your mind a steadiness and your life a balance.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

True peace comes not from controlling the world, but from letting go of control.

The Four Noble Truths are not merely theoretical propositions but a framework for understanding and transforming our experience.

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

Enlightenment is the realization that we were never really separate from one another or from all of life.

The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

Smile, breathe, and go slowly.

The first step toward faith is to admit that we don't know everything.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

The most important factor in achieving happiness is the mind. Happiness and suffering are mental states and therefore depend on the mind.

The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

The path of awakening is not about becoming who we think we should be, but about unbecoming who we are not.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

Should a person do good, let him do it again and again. Let him find pleasure therein, for blissful is the accumulation of good.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.